Adam Quark (Richard Benjamin) is the commander of a United Galaxy Sanitation Patrol spaceship. His job is to collect space garbage. His crew consists of engineer, Gene/Jean (Tim Thomerson), a transmute, which is a humanoid with both male and female chromosomes, navigators, Betty and Betty (Cyb and Patricia Barnstable), one Betty is an original and one is a clone, research and equipment specialist, Dr. O.B. Mudd (Douglas Fowley), and Andy (Bobby Porter) a mechanical android or robot.
At space station Perma One, Otto Palindrome (Conrad Janis) is alerting The Head (Alan Caillou) about an incoming catastrophe. It appears that an explosion in the M82 sector has propelled an enzyme cloud in their direction. The cloud is eating everything in its path. Palindrome determines that the only ship anywhere in the cloud’s vicinity is Adam Quark’s. They determine that Quark must sacrifice himself and his crew to blow up the cloud to save the galaxy.
Before The Head can send out a lasergram, Dr. Mudd realizes that something is headed their way. Something that will destroy the ship and everyone on it.
“Quark” was released in 1977 and was created by Buck Henry. The first episode was directed by Peter H. Hunt. It is an American science fiction sitcom that ran for 8 episodes. The series ran on Friday nights as a midseason replacement.
This was the only episode that featured Douglas Fowley as the character Dr. O.B. Mudd. He was replaced by Richard Kelton as a character named Ficus, a humanoid looking plant. Changes were also done to the appearance of the control room.
Most of the sound effects were from the original “Star Trek” series. Much of the series is a parody of “Star Trek” as well as other series such as “Star Wars”, “2001, A Space Odyssey”, “Buck Rogers” and “Flash Gordon”.
In the opening credits the twins are listed as Tricia Barnett and Cibbie Barnett instead of Barnstable.